CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville men's and women's cross country teams finish their season on Friday at the NCAA Regional at McAlpine Park.

The women's meet will begin at Noon, while the men's meet starts at 1:15 p.m.

Both teams have shown dramatic improvement this season as both had solid fifth-place finishes at the Big South Conference meet two weeks ago. Emma Bussard earned all-conference honors on the women's side with a third-place finish.

"For both teams, we want to get some experience in a meet like this to give us confidence for the future," commented Bulldog coach Jesse Norman. "However, our most experienced runners on the women's side are Emma Bussard and Melanie Kulesz, and we'd like to get them in the Top 20 if it all possible. They'd earn All-Region honors if they could get in top 20."

Bussard has been Asheville's top runner all year and has gotten better and better with each meet. With the men's squad, the Bulldog harriers have had three different runners lead the pack this year. Sophomore Kevin Paradise has had a good year for Asheville and won the UNC Asheville Invitational on Sept. 29.